Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and MB Communications & Lake Union Publishing #partner, for the advanced copy of No One Knows Us Here in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio
Published: January 1, 2023
Summary:
In this gripping novel about obsession, control, and self-preservation, a woman desperate to provide a new life for her sister enters a compromising arrangement with an entitled tech billionaire.
Rosemary Rabourne is already struggling to pay the bills when her recently orphaned half sister, Wendy, shows up at her door. Rosemary will try anything to provide for the traumatized teenager—even joining a high-end escort service.
Leo Glass is the billionaire CEO of a revolutionary social app. He wants the “girlfriend experience”—someone contractually obligated to love him—and he thinks he’s found the perfect match in Rosemary. His proposition has its perks: a free luxury apartment and financial security. And its conditions: constant surveillance and availability whenever Leo calls. It’s not the life Rosemary wants, but she’s out of options.
Then she meets her new neighbor, Sam, a musician with whom Rosemary shares an immediate attraction and a genuine intimacy she’s never felt with anyone. Falling in love makes it possible to imagine a real new life. But Leo won’t let go of her that easily, and his need for control escalates. So does Rosemary’s desperation—to protect Wendy, to protect herself, and, at any price, to escape.
My thoughts:
We all know I love a good story about a criminal – it’s why I love reading crime fiction and all the mystery thrillers that I gravitate towards. But what’s interesting is that most feature men as the villains, not females and so when I was pitched this book, what struck me is that the anti-heroine is just that – a female! And of course I knew I had to read it…and let me just say, this one is quite addicting and twisty, if not dark and disturbing – just how I like my thrillers!
Our main protagonist, Rosemary, is one flawed gal and I loved that I never knew what she was going to do next. I might not always have agreed with her decisions, but I think this is what makes her so realistic. She has experienced some pretty bad things in her life and so that tends to drive a lot of her actions.
This book completely captivated me because it was at times so over-the-top. The surveillance and technology used by Leo Glass and his company really intrigued me – is this something that could be in our future? God, I hope not! I don’t like the idea that someone could be watching me 24/7. But it did keep me totally engaged to see what was going to happen next.
This is a dark book, make no mistake about it. There are heavy, disturbing topics that are covered. But at the same time, it’s a thriller and it was also entertaining. It’s my first-time reading Rebecca Kelley and I’ll be curious to see what else she writes, especially if she continues to write in this genre!
Audio thoughts:
I was able to snag an early audio version of this book and boy did this book translate well onto audio. Merritt Hicks does a great job bringing this book to life. I was so engaged in this story that I did not want to put it down! I love when that happens!
